San Carlos Cemetery, Monterey

San Carlos Cemetery, also referred to as San Carlos Catholic Cemetery, was founded in 1834 under the name San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo. It is situated on Fremont Street in Monterey, California, and operates as a Catholic burial ground.

The interment of individuals began in 1832, a couple of years before it officially became a recognized cemetery, leading to the existence of some unmarked graves. In 1939, the cemetery expanded by incorporating the eastern portion of the Monterey City Cemetery (also known as Cementerio El Encinal) to create more space. San Carlos Cemetery holds the remains of numerous early local families, including notable Hispanic and European settlers, as well as working-class Sicilians who were primarily engaged in the local fishing industry. Additionally, immigrant families from China, the Philippines, and Japan have found their final resting place here.

In 1944, a local resident named Harry Downie spearheaded the efforts to restore Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo. As part of this restoration, he erected two 20-foot tall religious crosses, which came to be known as the Portola Crespi crosses, serving as replacements for the missing original crosses. In 1969, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Portolá expedition, one of these crosses was relocated and installed on Del Monte Beach, a public area. However, in 2009, the cross was vandalized, prompting the ACLU to threaten legal action. Consequently, the cross was relocated to San Carlos Cemetery.